Weeds Be Afraid — Outdoor Clean-Up with Spectracide

We bought our house in Punta Gorda, FL ten years ago this month. During that time, we’ve almost never been here full-time. For reasons that have varied over the years, we’ve often split our time between home (Punta Gorda) and away.

Sometimes traveling, sometimes in the mountains of North Carolina, and sometimes just a couple of hours away in Tampa.

Depending on your own level of wanderlust, that might sound nice and it does have some nice upside benefits, but there is a downside too.

Some of the drawbacks are intangible. This includes things like lacking a solid sense of “home”. Some of them are physical and clearly visible… these are the inevitable maintenance shortcomings that happen when you’re not home enough to take care of the place properly.

Things get out of hand quick and paradise can start to look like anything but!

Weeds. Rust. Dirt. Bugs. Etc. – The usual suspects.

If I had to choose public enemy number one, it would probably be rust because our house is a stone’s throw from open water. Everything outside that can rust, does rust. Quickly.

A close second however is weeds. The ground here is very fertile and everything grows like crazy, especially the weeds. So when Spectracide asked if I would have any projects that might make good use of their Spectracide Ready to Use Weed and Grass Killer, I didn’t have to think long about it. I knew of two projects that were in dire need of addressing.

Project #1 – De-Weed the Shell Driveway and Refresh with New Shell

We have one of those “Old Florida” crushed shell driveways. I love the way it looks when it’s all fresh and clean, but it isn’t impervious and eventually weeds and grass start to overtake the situation, especially if we’re not using it daily.

To start the project, I used my new favorite “occasional” weed killer, the supremely useful Spectracide Weed & Grass Foaming Edger. This product shoots out an easily controllable and clearly visible sharp line of weed killer, making the task of creating a clean break where the edge of the driveway is supposed to be much simpler than I’ve ever experienced with a pump sprayer.

You can see in the picture just how clean of a line I was able to draw. It was perfect.

After the edge was made I simply had to spray the weeds on the rest of the driveway with the regular Spectracide Weed and Grass Killer which was another pleasant surprise. Why would I use the word “pleasant” in reference to weed killer? I’ll tell you.

Because it was easy. Really easy. And it worked. Really worked.

This is the first “ready to use” product I’ve actually found to successfully totally kill the grass and weeds. (they all claim they will, but most don’t) Totally dead and crispy brown within just a few days. The picture below shows what it looked like after only 24 hours (you could see visible results in just a couple of hours)… a couple more days later and there wasn’t a hint of green left.

The really great thing about the Spectracide spray bottles is just how easy they are to use. You just pull the clear tube out of the handle, insert the connector on the tube into the hole in the bottle cap, and start spraying. No stopping to pump back up, no variation in spray strength or pattern… just easy.

The next step is to order a truckload of new crushed shell and spread it out. I might rent a compactor this time to pack it all evenly…but that remains to be seen. I’ll post pictures of the progress as we go.

Project #2 – Grill Area Major Overhaul

I love to grill. Really… big time. But the aforementioned rust issue is always causing me trouble with my grilling. I’ve been through five or six grills in the ten years we’ve had this place and usually by the time I finally “call it” for a grill, it’s about ready to completely disintegrate due to the obscene levels of rust.

So I’ve recently ordered a Komado Style Grill that is supposedly ceramic or ceramic coated. It’s also a beautiful shiny red color. I hope it lasts.

In preparation for the new grill (and a new stainless steel propane cooker), project #2 is to reclaim the area adjacent to my grill from the onslaught of weeds that has occupied it in the last couple of months. (keep in mind, I’m spraying the ground a number of feet away from where the grill is going to be… you wouldn’t want to spray this type of product near an an actual cooking area)

The sprayer is SO easy to use…

Since this area isn’t going to get a couple of inches of shell packed over it, I was a little concerned about the weeds just coming back. Even though the Spectracide kills the root of the weeds, I decided to use the “extended control” formula in this area which is designed to prevent more weeds for up to three months after application.

Once again the application was super easy and I started seeing results in just a few hours.

The new grill area and the refreshed driveway are going to make such a huge difference in the way the outside of the house looks and feels. I’ll be sure to show some updates as the projects move along.

For more tips on using Spectracide products to keep your lawn and garden looking great this summer, check out Spectracide’s Facebook page, where you’ll also find some money saving coupons and offers.

Hopefully we’ll also be able to hang around enough this summer to enjoy it a little bit!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Spectracide. The opinions and text are all mine.